1967 Vauxhall-Opel Viva Brabham 1.2 8v Review and Performance Comparison

Vauxhall-Opel Viva Performance Review.

Introduction:

The 1967 Vauxhall-Opel Viva Brabham 1.2 8v is a powered by a Petrol Straight 4. This variant of the Vauxhall-Opel Viva Brabham 1.2 8v is the 4 speed / Manual version and was first brought out around 1967. This was at around the same time as the introduction of the 1968 Dodge Dart Hemi 7.0 V8 and the 1968 Plymouth Road Runner 426 Hemi V8 1st Gen.

This particular Vauxhall-Opel Viva has a 1159cc Naturally Aspirated Petrol powerplant driven by the Vauxhall-Opel Rear Wheel Drive system.

Alternative Petrol Straight 4's include the 1985 Alfa-Romeo Spider Veloce

The Viva shares its Petrol Straight 4 engine configuration with the likes of the 1985 Alfa-Romeo Spider Veloce and the 2019 Ariel Atom 4 2.0 Turbo.If you're looking for other similar performing cars which share the Viva's Rear Wheel Drive, Saloon combination then how about the 1985 Alfa-Romeo Spider Veloce or the earlier 1982 Fiat X1/9 1.5 8V.

Power and Weight:

Weighing in at 777 kgs (1712 lbs) places the Vauxhall-Opel Viva Brabham 1.2 8v in a similar weight category as the 2013 KTM X-Bow R 2.0 Turbo and the excellent 2011 KTM X-Bow R 2.0 Turbo, give or take 50kg.

The Vauxhall-Opel Viva shares the same bhp with the 2013 Caterham 7 160/165 0.7L Turbo (79 bhp)

In terms of pure power the 1159cc 8 valve, Straight 4 engine produces around 69 bhp (51 kW) @ 5800 rpm which is comparable to the 2013 Caterham 7 160/165 0.7L Turbo (79 bhp) and also the 2005 Citroen C1 1.0 VTR 3dr (67 bhp).

The Naturally Aspirated Straight 4 throws out 66 lb-ft (89.4 Nm) @ 4000 rpm placing it with cars of similar torque performance figures such as the 2013 Caterham 7 160/165 0.7L Turbo (79 lb-ft) or the 2013 BMW i3 0.6l Hybrid (41 lb-ft).

Power to Weight:

If you look at both power or torque of the 1967 Vauxhall-Opel Viva in comparison with its weight you get a much more accurate idea of its real world performance.

The 2004 Citroen C2 1.6 VTS 3-5dr (113.8 bhp per ton) has similar Bhp Per Ton stats as the Vauxhall-Opel Viva.

The Vauxhall-Opel Viva has a power to weight ratio of 88.8 bhp per ton. Bhp per ton figures of the 1967 Viva Brabham 1.2 8v means you're competing with the 2004 Citroen C2 1.6 VTS 3-5dr (113.8 bhp per ton) and the equally quick 1970 Triumph Stag 3.0 V8 Convertible Mk1 (113.7 bhp per ton).

Torque to Weight:

If you agree with the late great Carroll Shelby then arguably an even better indicator of potential performance is Torque!. However, torque isn't the whole story, you also need to compare weight as well for more real world comparisons such as torque per ton.

The Vauxhall-Opel Viva Brabham 1.2 8v generates around 84.9 lb-ft per ton. So if you're looking at what cars perform similarly either on the drag strip or at the traffic lights using torque to weight as a benchmark, then look no further than the 2007 Lexus IS 250 AWD (109.9 lb-ft per ton) or the similarly performing 2002 Toyota Corolla 1.8 VVTL-I T SPORT (109.9 lb-ft per ton).

Acceleration:

The Vauxhall-Opel Viva Brabham 1.2 8v can accelerate 0–60mph in 14.40 secs or 0–100km/h (0–62mph) in 14.9 secs. Acceleration rivals to the Vauxhall-Opel Viva Brabham 1.2 8v include the 1951 Mercedes 300 S Roadster (14.50 secs) or the equally as fast to 60mph 1979 Jeep CJ-5 Renegade 4.2L (15.00 secs).

The Straight 4 engine of the Vauxhall-Opel Viva Brabham 1.2 8v ensures that, ‘on paper’ at least, accelerates slightly faster than the 1951 Mercedes 300 S Roadster (14.50 secs) and the 1979 Jeep CJ-5 Renegade 4.2L (15.00 secs).

Quarter Mile time is a close race between the Vauxhall-Opel Viva Brabham 1.2 8v and the Ford Thunderbird 300 4.9L V8 8th Gen

On a longer format for acceleration comparisons the 1967 Vauxhall-Opel Viva can reach a quarter mile in an estimated 18.50 secs with a trap speed around 73.6 mph. Similar performances down the quarter mile drag strip can be found with the the Ford Thunderbird 300 4.9L V8 8th Gen (18.55 seconds @ 73.4 mph) and a close race between the Rolls-Royce Camargue 6.8 V8 (18.55 seconds @ 73.4 mph) too.

Top Speed:

Some modern performance cars are often artificially restricted particularly when it comes to max speed. 155 mph top speed restrictions are often used as part of the German 'Gentleman's Agreement' for example, so be cautious when using maximum speed figures. The 1967 version of the Vauxhall-Opel Viva Brabham 1.2 8v has a maximum speed of 90mph.

Top Speed of the 1967 Viva equals the Porsche 356 1.5l 2+2 (87 mph)

If maxing out your car on the AutoBahn is your thing and you're wondering what has a similar top end performance to the 1967 Vauxhall-Opel Viva Brabham 1.2 8v then there's the slightly slower the Porsche 356 1.5l 2+2 (87 mph) or how about the impressive Skoda 120 L 1200 (87 mph).

— AutoSnout

Figures & Specs Summary:

Related Links:

• 1967 Viva Rivals List.
• 1967 Viva: Full Review and Comparisons.
• A Brief History of Vauxhall-Opel
• Compare the 1967 Vauxhall-Opel Viva